Gojira

My dad had a passion for movies that he passed down to me by getting me excited to watch certain film series such as The Omen, Die Hard and Godzilla. There was definitely not shortage of Godzilla movies to be rented from the local video stores, and we certainly took advantage of that.

I couldn't tell you what the first Godzilla movie I saw was, but my favourite was probably Godzilla 1985. We most likely watched them on Beta, a format of which I still have a love for. Mothra, Rodan and even the son of Godzilla all held special places in my heart as I grew up to watch them over and over.


Unfortunately over the years my love for the movies have fallen a bit to the wayside and I come to appreciate other fare. And after getting quite excited for the American version in 1998, my disappointment would be felt for years as I would quickly forget about the big green guy. A few new Godzilla movies have come out in the past few years and they have been good, but it was a very surprising Christmas gift I received last year that gave me the nostalgic feeling for Godzilla again.

It is the Japanese version of the first Godzilla movie: Gojira. The movie was heavily re-edited, even adding in new scenes, new story and eliminating many things for the American market back in '56. Of course I had watched it as a child, and had no idea there was an original version out there. This new DVD set had both cuts on it, but it was the original, Japanese version that got me excited.

Unfortunately my arrogance of DVD prevented me from watching it until a few nights ago. I couldn't be happier with the fact that I like DVDs again, because this is a real gem. If you enjoy movies, and Godzilla, you must watch this film!

It feels weird to say this, but the special effects stand up to today's standards. Sure, the film is in tough shape and I'm sure that hides things, but Godzilla looked great. It's all in simplicity: they don't have him running around, doing fancy moves, he is what he is: a slow movie gigantic monster that shuffles his feet through buildings, and setting fire to his surroundings. They don't go overboard, and it helps that they don't use stop-motion photography.

And the story is character-driven: not so much about people just reacting to Godzilla, but reacting to a series of horrible, catastrophic events and how that affects their lives. A young couple planning on marriage spar with the bride-to-be's father over moral issues (i.e. is it right to just destroy Godzilla, or more important to find out why Godzilla is?). The same girl is faced with priority issues: betray a friendship to help civilization?

This movie is not subtle about it's messages, either. Clearly it warns of the dangers of using nuclear weapons, something of which was wiped almost clear from the American version. It warns that if these nuclear weapons could awaken something as fierce as Godzilla, what else could it awaken? And I don't think they were referencing giant monsters, but instead the monster within ourselves.

These messages would have been even more relevant to Japan when the movie was just released, not even ten years after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (characters in the film even mention surviving the event, only to be met by this new monstrosity).

Of course the movie, being so old and of "that" quality, it can be a bit slow and tedious to sit through. But every minute is worth it for the final attack: which apparently runs 13 minutes long and is just destruction. It's not spectacular like current blockbuster effects-driven scenes, but it is moving. Then comes the time for sacrifice and even more sadness as they are left with only one option of getting rid of Godzilla. Indeed, this Godzilla movie was more serious, sad and just plain real than any other that would come after.